While bath time can be a lot of fun for children, toilet time rarely is. In fact, toilet hygiene is something that many parents struggle with when it comes to their children. Whether it’s teaching them how to wipe properly, flush the toilet, wash their hands, or keep the bathroom clean, it can be a source of frustration and conflict.
However, toilet hygiene can also be a great opportunity to involve your kids in a meaningful activity that can boost their confidence, independence, and responsibility.
Why Involve Your Kids in Toilet Hygiene?
Toilet hygiene is not only important for health and hygiene reasons, but also for social and emotional reasons. By involving your kids in toilet hygiene tasks, you can help them:
- Develop self-care skills: Toilet hygiene is a basic self-care skill that children need to learn as they grow up. By teaching them how to take care of their own bodies and personal hygiene, you are helping them become more independent and confident. You are also preparing them for other self-care tasks that they will encounter later in life, such as grooming, dressing, etc.
- Develop responsibility: When they learn how to keep the bathroom clean and tidy, they are learning how to respect their own space and the space of others. You are also teaching them to take responsibility for their actions and their belongings.
- Develop social skills: Learning how to use the toilet properly and politely, goes a long way in helping them learn how to behave in public and private settings. You are also helping them avoid embarrassing or awkward situations that might arise from poor toilet hygiene. For example, you can teach them how to knock before entering a bathroom, how to close the door behind them, how to flush the toilet after use, how to wash their hands with soap and water, etc.
- Develop cognitive skills: By involving them in toilet hygiene tasks, you are challenging them to think critically, solve problems, follow instructions, and use their imagination. For example, you can ask them questions like “Why do we need to wash our hands after using the toilet?”, “How can we make the bathroom smell nice?”, or “What can we do to make the bathroom more colourful?”.
How to Make Toilet Hygiene Fun and Rewarding for Your Kids?
Toilet hygiene does not have to be boring or tedious for your kids. There are a number of strategies for making it fun and rewarding.
Strategy: Using positive reinforcement:
One of the best ways to motivate your kids to participate in toilet hygiene tasks is to use positive reinforcement. This means praising them for their efforts, acknowledging their achievements, and rewarding them with incentives. For example, you can give them stickers, stamps, or certificates for completing a toilet hygiene task. You can also create a chart or a calendar where they can track their progress and earn rewards.
Strategy: Using games and activities:
Make the tasks more engaging and enjoyable by using games and activities. For example, you can use songs, rhymes, or stories that relate to toilet hygiene. You can also use toys, props, or tools that can make the tasks easier or more interesting. For example, you can use a timer, a stopwatch, or a musical device that can signal when it’s time to flush the toilet or wash their hands. You can also use colourful soap dispensers, hand towels, or toothbrushes that can make the bathroom more appealing.
Strategy: Using role models and examples:
Monkey see, monkey do. Inspire your kids by showing them the benefits of good toilet hygiene. For example, you can use books, videos, or cartoons that feature characters who practise good toilet hygiene. You can also use real-life examples of people who have good toilet hygiene habits, such as family members, friends, teachers, or celebrities. You can also use yourself as an example by modelling good toilet hygiene behaviour and inviting your kids to join you.
Strategy: Using interactive resources and apps:
Potty Time with Elmo: This app features Elmo and his friends as they teach young children about using the potty, washing their hands, and more. It includes songs, stories, games, and stickers.
Daniel Tiger’s Stop & Go Potty: This app features Daniel Tiger and his friends as they help children practise stopping their play when they have to go potty and learn about their important bathroom routines at the potty and sink. The app helps children practise bathroom routines like wiping, flushing, and washing & drying hands before returning to play.
Baby’s Potty Training – Toilet : This app features a cute baby character that needs your help with using the potty. You can choose from different potties, toilets, and accessories, and teach the baby how to use them properly.
Engaging the Larger Community in Creating a Culture of Good Toilet Hygiene
Just as a home’s toilet reflects the habits of the family, our communal toilets reflect the values and habits of our communities. For us to have clean communal toilets, we need to educate the masses on toilet hygiene.
One reliable way to do so is through toilet hygiene being taught in schools. The habits children pick up when young become second nature by the time they reach adulthood.
Harpic, India’s leading brand in the lavatory care segment, recognises this and has directed several outreach programs towards schools and school children. Harpic has also partnered with News18 in the Mission Swachhta aur Paani Initiative, which has, for 3 years now, championed the cause of inclusive sanitation, equality for all genders, abilities, castes and classes and the strong belief that clean toilets are a shared responsibility.
Under the aegis of Mission Swachhta aur Paani, Harpic partnered with Sesame Workshop India, an educational non-profit working for the early developmental needs of young children, to promote positive sanitation, hygiene knowledge and behaviours among children and families through schools and communities, engaging with 17.5 million children across India.
You too can do your part by joining us here. Mission Swachhta aur Paani has articles, videos and discussions on any and all topics related to toilet hygiene. Whether that takes the shape of conversations at work or championing toilet hygiene education in schools, Mission Swachhta aur Paani has all the information you need to do so with confidence.
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